Tag: ISS
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Boeing, ULA launches Starliner, suffers orbital insertion issue – will return home Sunday
A moment nearly ten years in the making. After receiving a formal development award on 18 April 2011 for their CST-100 crew capsule, Boeing sent its Starliner spacecraft on its inaugural flight, albeit one that will be cut short. The uncrewed test, known as the Orbital Flight Test — or OFT — launched on a…
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CRS-19 Dragon completes journey to the ISS
Following her launch on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, the company’s CRS-19 Dragon spacecraft completed journey to the ISS. The resupply flight launch from Cape Canaveral’s SLC-40 on Thursday before being captured by the Station’s robotic arm on Sunday morning. The launch began the month-long CRS-19 mission which will see Dragon deliver new research and supplies…
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Sierra Nevada names Dream Chaser cargo module, updates CRS2 progress
At the Kennedy Space Center’s Space Station Processing Facility, Sierra Nevada Corporation unveiled the name for Dream Chaser’s cargo module element as well as provided an update on the status of the cargo craft as it prepares for its first flight in 2021. Also discussed at the event were potential other applications for Dream Chaser,…
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SpaceX conducts static fire of Crew Dragon’s abort system engines
SpaceX conducted a static fire test of their human-rated Crew Dragon capsule on Wednesday near the company’s Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral. The test was a major milestone for SpaceX, who is working towards restoring America’s crewed orbital launch capability. Under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, SpaceX, along with Boeing, are developing vehicles to transport…
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A Tale of Two Cygnuses: NG-11 and NG-12
While the main focus last weekend was on the successful launch of the Cygnus NG-12 mission with a fresh set of science experiments and supplies for the Expedition 61 crew of the International Space Station, Northrop Grumman was eagerly awaiting the opportunity to test a critical new capability for Cygnus. That new effort was the…
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HTV-8 departs ISS ahead of destructive re-entry
Japan’s Kounotori H-II Transfer Vehicle has completed its eighth mission at the International Space Station following launch aboard an H-IIB carrier rocket, berthed mission and departure. The H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV), also known as Kounotori, is the Japanese contribution to a fleet of uncrewed spacecraft that fly cargo and resupply missions to the International Space…
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Upgraded Antares launches first CRS2 NASA flight of Cygnus
With the first flight of the Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS2) contract for NASA, Northrop Grumman debuted an upgraded Antares rocket. The new Antares 230+ permits greater up-mass capability to the International Space Station to meet the CRS2 contract requirements from NASA. Launch of the NG-12 Cygnus mission from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Virginia…
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SpaceX’s Crew Dragon set for important test campaign
SpaceX continues to make progress towards launching crews into orbit, but several critical tests remain before those plans can come to fruition. The company is developing the Crew Dragon spacecraft to transport crews to and from the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The United States has not launched humans into…
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Failed Battery Charge/Discharge Unit replacement complete during historic EVA
NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Dr. Jessica Meir exited the International Space Station to begin an Extravehicular Activity – EVA, or spacewalk – on Friday that largely saw the duo replace a failed Battery Charge/Discharge Unit on the Station’s P6 truss structure. The unit failed to reactivate after the first two of a five spacewalk…
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Dream Chaser on a path to maiden flight as primary structure arrives at SNC
Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Dream Chaser spacecraft is about to enter final assembly, integration and testing after the primary structure was delivered from Lockheed Martin. Marking the event, SNC officials are confident their vehicle will conduct her first ISS resupply mission in the latter part of 2021 under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services 2 (CRS2) contract. The…